Our Second Grandson

Liam Benjamin Nichols

Born Monday, Dec. 28th

At 4:36 p.m.

Weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz.

Length 20 inches.

He is a bundle of blessings!

Tea Parties and Little Boys

If you know me at all - you know I have dreamed of grandbabies for years and years before we were blessed with Casen, our almost 2 year old grandson. I couldn't wait to hold them, love on them and to eventually do all the things Grandmas do with their grandbabies. One of the dreams I had was to have tea parties with any granddaughters we might have. I figured that dream would be on hold for a while with having Casen and now his little brother on the way, but today I was proved wrong.

I have a toy chest that holds bags of fun things - a camouflage bag with toy soldiers and tanks, an ocean print with pirates, treasure and a shark - you get the picture. One the bags is definitely a girly bag - big, bright daisies on a bright green background. Inside is a children's tea set. It has not seen the light of day since our "faux" grand-daughters in Arizona had played with it. Well this morning, Casen discovered the girly bag. I thought, "Oh well this might last a couple of minutes." I began to show Casen how to set up the tea set and "serve" tea. I found out that having a tea party with a little boy differs from having one with a little girl.

Difference #1: when setting up for a tea party, boys - unlike girls, do not like setting it up in the traditional manner instead it is much more entertaining to stack the tea cups, saucers, plates, teapot, sugar bowl and flatware until the tower comes tumbling down (reminded me of Jericho's wall - I think I know why little boys love that song and story!). This action demands a break from the tea party to hunt up the tea set - thank goodness the tea set is made of plastic!

Difference #2: when pretending to add sugar to the tea in the cups - little girls daintily stir the imaginary tea with a spoon but little boys apparently stir it so vigorously that the tea cup eventually is spinning (sometimes off of the table!) which brings lots of laughter and more stirring!

Difference #3: instead of pretending to delicately sip from the teacups, boys like to make slurping sounds and end the drink by tossing the cup aside and immediately repeating with a new cup. I'm still not sure why this occurred, Casen has pretty good table manners and doesn't toss dishes from the dinner table. Maybe he thought since it was pretend it may as well be fun?

My tea party with Casen may have been different from the tea party than I had dreamed of but I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love my Boy!

Haunting The Zoo!

We took Casen to the Haunting at the Zoo. They had trick-or-treating for all the children. Of course Casen went as his favorite - a Lion . . . ROAR!!!!!

Waiting . . .

I think God is teaching me about waiting on His timing. Brian and I thought we would be settling into our new apartment in OKC, making it our home by now. We thought we would have already taken Casen to the park (several times), the library and probably to Target for a new toy or book. We believed we would have eaten a few meals with Amanda, Josh and Casen, maybe even took supper over after their long day at work. We had hoped to have begun our search for our new church home. We thought we would be taking a trip up to Kansas to see my family and would be receiving and giving some TLC.

But here we are, in Sierra Vista, in an almost empty house - still waiting for everything to be finalized so we can get a firm closing date. We tried to mess with the timing, even reserved the U-Haul, made calls to see how things were progressing and got to the point we actually had to take a card table and folding chairs out of the storage unit (see earlier post). And still we are waiting.

Yesterday, I was praying, asking God to hurry up and get the ball rolling - please. It dawned on me as I was finishing up by telling him that I was trusting this to him that I haven't been trusting it to Him! I was convicted. We have been trying to do this in our timing, not leaving it to Him and His timing!

Psalm 27:14, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I am asking Him to write His words on my heart! Asking Him to let it be in His timing for He sees the whole picture!

Friendship

If you are a female and if you were in Girl Scouts or Brownies, you might remember a song about Friends. I remember it going like this:

Make new friends,
But keep the old.
One is silver,
And the other's gold.

There may be more verses, but that is what I can remember.

I met my friend, Joyce about 28 years ago. We became friends because we went to church together and were pregnant during the same time and became mothers with babies around the same time. Through the years our friendship has grown. Truthfully, that growth is mostly due to her and her heart.

She has always been there for me, not just in words, but in deeds.

Joyce was there for me those months Brian was at the BP Academy. She had me come over every Tuesday after picking up Jordan up from Kindergarten. We watched a soap together, she cooked lunch (with enough leftovers for the kids and I for dinner) and I ironed (a task that weirdly - I love doing). The boys played. It was a win-win deal.

I can't count the number of times she picked up my relatives flying into Tucson through the years. Normally, it was because someone else I loved was having surgery. She brought snacks up to the hospital waiting rooms, sat untold hours waiting for the doctors to come and deliver news of our loved ones and often would taxi people back to the airport to catch their flights home. She even housed some of us through the years during those visits.

She loves my children. She rejoices over the good things in my childrens' lives and prays over their struggles. She always wants to see them when they are in town even if we can only meet for a quick supper somewhere.

When she had her first grandson - Landon. She graciously let me share in Grandmothering him. She did this because she knew how I longed to be a grandmother and knew I would fall in love with her grandbaby. He was just a day old when she called and asked me to come and see him. I worried that his mommy and daddy wouldn't appreciate me coming so quickly to meet him, but I shouldn't have worried. They apparently have Joyce's gracious spirit.

When my family comes now, she (and sometimes her husband Martin) come down and share a meal with us or spend a day with us. She calls my Mom - Mom and my sisters - her sisters. She even calls Sharlene by her family nickname - Sissie. Joyce is family now too.

Joyce is my "gold" mentioned in the song above. She is a blessing in my life and has been for almost 30 years. The hardest part of leaving Arizona for me is that I won't have Joyce just an hour away. I will miss her.

In Storage and Out of Storage

I knew it would happen and today was the day. It began last night, Brian and I were going to play a game of Hand and Foot on the bed. Keep reading . . . that is a CARD game. We struggled trying to keep our cards lined up and keep ourselves comfortable. The cards didn't keep lined up and we weren't comfortable. This morning after our walk, Brian comes in and tells me that we are going to go get a card table and two folding chairs from storage. I just smiled. I knew it would happen since almost everything we own is in the unit. Now we have a card table with chairs to play a card game and for meals. Oh and by the way, I won the game last night.

What Is A Picture Worth . . .

A THOUSAND WORDS

Boys, A Lake and Rocks

While in Oklahoma last month, we took an evening to visit Lake Hefner. It is a beautiful lake and park. The guys decided to throw and skip rocks - Casen loved this idea. Pretty soon the big boys were trying to see who could make their picks skip more times and Casen was working his way up from throwing pebbles to throwing huge rocks. By evening's end the big boys were throwing rocks to see how big of a splash they could make too.

My Memory Card

About a month ago we took a trip to Oklahoma to see Amanda, Josh and Casen and then to Kansas to see family and watch our niece, Annie marry Jared.

During this special time my digital camera started acting up. I would be busy snapping pictures about 50 a minute (that # may be slightly exaggerated - but then again if you know my family - maybe not) and all the while feeling pretty proud of my 8GB memory card, yes - 8GB!

What I didn't realize was my 8GB memory card was not holding my pictures! It was apparently holding them for two days and then gone, vanished, wiped clean. Sad part is I didn't catch on right away that my now "evil 8GB memory card" was doing this. And even sadder part is that once I did catch onto its' plan, I didn't think to start using the protecting lock on my camera to ensure my pictures would not end up in No More Land. Shows you where pride gets you!

Anyways, I share this with you to explain why I haven't posted any Kansas pictures. I did make it home with some of our Oklahoma part of the visit and will work on getting those posted.

By the way, I now have a new memory card - 4GB and I'm using my protection lock - just in case it is not 8GB memory card's fault and instead it was my camera's fault. But that's another story for another day.

Another Treasure

A while back I wrote that one of my favorite parts of moving is sorting through things and getting to take a trip down memory lane. When Jordan was here a few weeks ago we took another trip.

When we originally packed up in Laredo for our move out here to Arizona, we packed everything the kids left at home. Our storage room was crammed with childhood toys, books ranging from cloth baby books to novels in hardback with a few text books thrown in, school and band awards, memory items - you get the picture. A couple of years ago we started taking bins to Amanda since she and Josh had their own home. I tried to downsize it before taking it to her, but I really wanted her to decide what to toss and what to keep.

Jordan's treasures have just been stuck in storage, until his recent visit. We had the idea of letting him go through everything with the hopes he would get rid of the things he had no interest in keeping (and that passed Mom's memory gauge). Jordan went through all his bins - things ended up in the trash, others back into bins (to stay with us), some treasures went with him and he passed a few things down to Casen. We accomplished what we had hoped for including a fun trip down Memory Lane. It was so good to play "Remember when . . ." and "Look at this . . ." with Jordan. We laughed and talked, it was good.

Simple chore turned into Treasure - Good Times with Jordan.

Oh and Amanda, we've got a few things for you . . .

A Mountain Steam

We've had a pretty dry year down in Arizona, so Brian and I really enjoyed the abundance of water up in Oregon. This just one of the beautiful streams we enjoyed! Don't turn up the sound too loud - it is better as a gentle sound!

Time with Family, two New Friends and a couple of Doggies

Aunt Georgia, Mom, and me

with Bubba down front.

We enjoyed a quiet evening out at the "Trout Farm" and took a few pictures. This City Girl expected to see big cement tanks buried in the ground with open tops and tons of fish - all different sizes - which I assumed would later be relocated to actual lakes. Instead it was a pretty little lake with a nice trail surrounding it. I guess the fishing is pretty good there too!

Brian and the elusive Uncle Gary
( don't think Uncle Gary is crazy

about having his picture taken!)

At the Cant Farm

At the Trout Farm

Uncle Gary and Me up on Dixie Trail

Dolores has been such a good friend to Mom

since her move up to Oregon. We couldn't

have asked for a better tour guide to the

area than Dolores and we teased her about

knowing everyone in the county!

Dolores and Mom during

one of our Jeep Rides

Mom's neighbor girl, Jeannie and

Brian playing Ladder Ball.

This is Aunt Georgia and Uncle Gary's little dog, Dandy. He is a cutie just like Bubba. He loved having his chest scratched.

A New View

A few years ago I enjoyed a women's study on the Psalms. During this study we talked about what in nature speaks to us of God and His presence in our lives. I really identified with that thought - the study reaffirmed to me how much God speaks to us thru his wonderful creation.

Psalm 125:1 & 2, "Those who trust in the Lord are like

Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures

forever, As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the

Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore."

The above verse is one of my favorite "comfort" verses - a verse I have turned to in the past to remind me that God is there and surrounding us with His love. I read it over and over the summer of 1999 when it felt our lives were being shattered. Then again, this past year it has come to my mind and lips a thousand times. It words have truly been a comfort to me.

Seeing the created beauty in Oregon, my verse kept coming to mind and I felt a gentle reminder that God surrounds me by His love and presence in my life. This past week in Oregon, I began to view these words not just as a source of comfort, but I also came to see them as a promise for what lies ahead. I know God holds wonderful plans for our future and I can barely wait as those plans unfold.

The House Is Under Contract

Someone has put in an offer (which we accepted after a counter offer and another counter offer) on the house, so now it is under contract! Praise God - He has blessed us these last few weeks. His Spirit gave us both such a sense of peace over our decision to lower the price of the house and we knew in our hearts that we could leave this matter in God's loving hands. The price was lowered about 5 minutes when the buyer's realtor called ours to set up a time to view the house. The buyer has come by several times, plus he had his folks come by to see it. Each viewing left Brian and I both with a good feeling. He is a first time home buyer, so he is taking advantage of a Arizona program to help with his down. The sale becoming final is contigent upon that working out, but we are leaving it in God's hands. The buyer doesn't want to take posssession until the end of August - perfect timing for us as Brian's retirement date is August 31st. God is good and he is keeping his hands on our lives! I praise Him for seeing the big picture and taking care of our needs and timing!

Grandbaby II is on the Way!

We have a grandbaby on the way! Brian and I received an early morning phone call a couple of weeks ago. "Mom and Daddy, we are pregnant - we're having another baby!" We were instructed it was a secret until Amanda had her first appointment but I admit, I did tell a few people here and my best friend Joyce. Oh the bliss of the news! Another Grandbaby to love! I think of how much we love Casen and then I try to grasp the thought of that love multiplied by two - what a thought! I can barely wait!

Yesterday we received this phone picture:

We were so excited - the big news was out. This morning, I remembered, "I can now post the big news on Facebook, my blog, and I can talk about it with our Moms and the rest of the family - yeah!!!

Proverbs again comes to my mind, "Children's children are a crown to the aged . . ." It is true! What a wonderful blessing we receive here on this earth - Grandbabies!

Our Home

I have been thinking about us selling our house and I realized that I have been calling it our "house" not our home. Hmm . . . it got me to thinking. I love this house - it was the first place Brian and I have owned as just the two of us. We have tried with God's help, to make it a welcoming place, a place where our friends and family would find love, joy, comfort and peace.

As our Home these walls have:

seen us at our best and at our worst,

been a place of refuge, comfort

and peace for Brian and I,

heard our prayers to God -

both our petitions and our praise,

welcomed our friends with

warm meals and a soft bed,

been a safe, fun place for children to come,

welcomed a few strangers

and saw them become friends,

enjoyed Casen's first Christmas,

been a temporary home for both of our Moms,

welcomed our children and their families,

been filled with the laughter of reminiscing

each time our siblings came to visit,

heard a few heart to heart talks,

seen tears fall -

some of joy and some of heartache,

and been filled with love - always.

These wall have held a lot of living and I believe that is why we have called it home. God has blessed Brian and I through this home - with good friends, loving family and lots of memories. I think placing it on the market has made me begin to tuck away all the memories and start looking ahead to our next home and the blessings God will provide to Brian and I there.

Psalm 127:1a, "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain."

Trusting It To God

We signed papers yesterday morning to list our house for sale. I was feeling excited, a little sad and just a bit nervous while waiting for our realtor to bring over the papers. During this time, I re-read our son-in-law's post on his blog about selling their home (http://www.map-vs-territory.blogspot.com/ the entry entitled: Buying a House.....A Spiritual Journey). I then prayed some more. The Spirit let His peace fill my heart. Although this next year or so is going to be bringing some changes into our lives, I know God will bring blessings from these changes.

In times past I have struggled with listening to God's timing and I have struggled many times with keeping my hands off that which I have given to God. Please pray that I will keep the sale of this house, the timing, any obstacles and the blessings in God's very capable and loving hands. I want to enjoy the changes that are coming. I know He sees the BIG PICTURE and I want to trust it to Him.

Psalm 46:10a, "Be still and know that I am God . . ."

One Favorite Part of Moving

One of my favorite parts of moving is the packing, I know that probably sounds strange, but hear me out. When I start packing, I savor it. I feel like I am on a treasure hunt. The treasure is the memories I will eventually run across - some stuffed in a box that hasn't seen the light of day since the last move, some are in "photo safe storage" boxes - still waiting to make it into a scrapbook and some are just randomly stuck in-between books, etc.

Some of Today's Treasures

The patches of my husband's old uniform - the ones from

when he first entered the Border Patrol and to go

with those, I found the pictures from the day he

was promoted to a supervisor.

A too sweet picture of Mandie holding newborn
Jordan in the hospital with me looking on smiling nervously.


The packet of pictures that still brings a lump to my throat. The ones capturing my last days with my Dad. Along with those, I found a story I started several years ago. It is about my Dad - a story to acquaint my grandchildren with this special man that they won't have the gift of meeting here on earth. It isn't going back into the stash I found it in, I think I want to pick up with it where I left off. I have a grandbaby now and I would like to have it for him to read some day.





A funny picture of our children and a hairy little "boy" named Thad. I still laugh when I see this photo - the kids really enjoyed having a dog, especially one that would let them dress him up in Jordan's old clothes.



A picture of my Mom and Brian's folks in Oatman, Arizona. We
took fresh carrots and were trying to not feed them all to the same couple of greedy donkeys. We tried hiding the carrots in Dad's wheelchair (I still don't know why we thought that would keep the
donkeys from finding them), but the donkeys didn't take long to sniff them out!

And finally a picture I didn't know I had. I can't say I remember this day, but I'm glad I have a photo of baby me and our dog Trixie.

She was our faithful dog for a lot of years. When my brother went into the army, Trixie started sleeping at the foot of my bed.

Memories.

Do you see why packing is one of my favorite parts of moving?

Angels' Spring Training

While in Ajo, I bought tickets to take Brian to an Angel's Spring Training Game in Tempe. He is always up for a baseball game and since he is a Die-Hard fan of the Angels, I knew the tickets would be a double in his eyes. We had a fun day . . . slathering on sunblock, watching the game, cheering for the Angels, eating peanuts and nachos, passing beer and soda down the line and watching people.

Phone Photos of Our Boy

Here are a few photos of our grandson, Casen. They were all sent by his mommy and daddy by phone. Isn't technology AMAZING. Getting almost daily photos of Casen brightens my day and brings a smile to my face without fail! Enjoy . . .
(of course we think his is the sweetest face of all!)

Ajo

In January, Brian was notified he would be assigned to Ajo, Arizona for a 90 day detail. We had heard some pretty harsh things about Ajo and everyone was quick to point out the negatives of being sent there. We decided we would try to keep a positive spin on this detail and seek the blessings we knew God would provide.
And provide God did!
God definitely used our time there 1) to give us a break from the stresses we have experienced the last few months of 2008, 2) to heal our hearts a little, 3) to be together without distractions and 4) a chance to experience another part of Arizona.

Ajo ended up being an interesting town. Although the lack of stores to shop in, places to rent movies or to eat a meal out was frustrating to both of us. We found there were some fun things to do in Ajo. We found a little "mining museum" that was actually pretty interesting. It not only represented the mining history of Ajo, but also the early settlers, the racial segregation that took place as it grew and the lives of some of it's more interesting townspeople. It was ran by an interesting older couple. I commented on my Facebook page that they were talkers, Amanda (our daughter) commented that people were probably going to be saying that about her Dad and I too. That struck me funny because that day, I had wandered outside and the friendly lady was out there. She started up a conversation and she went off on a tangent about their kids and grands. After about 10 minutes, I thought, "Boy, she can really talk!" then I thought, "Hey, I can too!" Then off I went - talking about our kids and our Casen. As we left, I told Brian I gave her a run for her money on who could talk most randomly (is that a word?) about family.

Casen

While in Oklahoma last month for our daughter's graduation and celebration, Brian and I got to keep Casen during the daytime, while his mommy and daddy worked. Brianand I loved being able to take care of him. We had so much fun, getting to do the things we have missed out on - reading to him, playing with him, giving him baths, walks (some in the house due to cold weather), letting him help us - good stuff! I am posting a few pictures - enjoy!

Sifting as Wheat - Part II

Now, fast forward over the next couple of months of Brian and mine lives. These were not calm, easy living months – but hailstorm kind of months.

Immediately following the trip to Kansas, I flew to see our son Jordan. Jordan had been through a storm of his own, a storm that left him bent and beaten, much like the wheat would have been if a hailstorm had moved in across the Kansas sky the day we were at the farm. My days in Boston were bittersweet. Jordan and I had some time to just talk – to reminisce, to talk through some struggles and just be mom and son. It was good to spend time him, to be with friends and to finally see some smiles on Jordan’s face. It was good for both of us, but difficult nevertheless!

I was anxious to be home the entire return flight. I had an uneasy feeling about what awaited me there. My intuition proved correct, I came home to a husband that was struggling much more than when we had parted just 10 short days ago. I saw how tired he was after mowing just small portion of the lawn. How he had to stop and rest after taking out the garbage. How he could not remember his day at work when he got home. How he would not remember what he had planned to do that day. How he could not sleep when he was suppose to, yet would fall asleep the moment he sat down to relax. I saw how scared he was, not understanding what was going on with his body and mind. I saw fear in his eyes and I knew mine mirrored the same. Changes were happening that would take months to solve. Some serious sifting lay ahead for us. But God is good and He is faithful, forgiving, loving and strong. I praise Him for being Him.

Sifting as Wheat - Part III (I know this is lengthy, but please be patient.)

. . . to sift, as grain in a sieve (Strongs)
There are a couple of verses in Luke 22, covering a conversation between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus had just told them that one of them would betray Him – this made his followers wonder which of them would be the betrayer. It was just a short leap from there to wondering and questioning who was the greatest of them. Please don’t judge them too harshly; I am afraid I too would have been in there amongst them – wondering which of us was the greatest.
Jesus patiently teaches them once again about being a servant, being humble and of standing by Him. Then in verse 31, Jesus tells Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” (Whoa!) Then in verse 32, Jesus continues, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthening your brothers.” (Double Whoa!)
I feel the months leading up to our trip to the farm and the months that followed, were a sifting for Brian and I. Our Peace was something that Satan wanted to test, to see if the troubles of this world would find us standing by God or turning our backs on Him. The events that had led up to and followed this trip often found us barely keeping a hold on God, at times we times were prostrate on the floor asking God for release from these trials and at other times we angrily asked God, "Why, Father?" But, thankfully, some days it was so easy to see God’s hand still on our lives – those were precious moments to Brian and I – a time to shore up for the next sifting! God knew what needed to take place in order to sift empty words, gestures, misplaced dependency on others and the things of no real value - all things that have kept us from being the people He spoke about in Jeremiah 24, “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” I think we had gotten so caught up in doing for God and on depending on others for our needs that we forgot to LOOK TO GOD and we begin to lose sight of Him. Joel 2:13b, “Rend your heart and not your garments.” In 1999, Brian and I were hit with one family problem or event after another which left us struggling. I thought we had learned this lesson during the months, actually years that followed and I actually thought I was striving not to fall back into that pattern, but there in the midst of our sifting my heart was convicted. I was reminded that everything I do is not to raise me up – but to to bring Glory to Him. I also realized that I had begun depending on other people to meet my needs. I know God uses those around me to strengthen me, to encourage me and to convict me, but He still wants me to seek Him for answers and help – then He will provide – whether it is through His Word, His Spirit, my family or friends – He longs to be my Rock, my Fortress.
How often I can identify with Simon Peter - I long to be always pleasing to God, but I mess up so badly at times. And it is those times that God shows His love so strongly, by allowing His Son's blood to cover my messes and present me as clean!
I feel we are still not to the point of strengthening others from our trials, but I think we are taking a few steps in that direction. Thankfully, we have felt Jesus was on our side from the very beginning of our sifting and knew that He had us on His heart, praying our faith would not fail. He has seen us through.

Sifting As Wheat Part I

Early this past summer we made a trip to see family in Kansas. One of the highlights while we were there was to visit the farm – this is home to my niece Becky, her husband Jason and their precious, precious children Clint and Megan. One of the main functions of this farm is to raise wheat. We were excited as we drove along the dirt road heading out to the farm, even stopping along the way to take pictures of the beautiful fields of near golden wheat. On that dusty trip, I had no idea that the things I would see that day would be on my heart over and over this summer and fall.
My nephew Jason – well he is a farmer and he does what farmers do. He plants, nurtures and harvests the wheat. He trusts in God to provide the right amount of rain, to keep the hailstorms on hold and to bring down the sunshine! A farmer knows his fields, knows when the grain has ripened and knows when he needs to harvest. He uses a combine to separate the straw from the chaff and chaff from the grain. When he is done the farmer takes the grain to storage until he sells it at market.
Seeing all this wheat and watching Jason that day, I had an idea. I wanted the children in my Bible class to see this! I figured most of my little ones had never seen a wheat field and maybe did not even know what wheat was – after all they live in the high desert and are only 2 and 3 years old.I eventually made a flip chart, sharing this day on the farm with them. I wanted them to see the beauty and wonder of what I saw that day and to see God’s Hand on this little portion of their world. Jason even gave me some wheat to take home (the kids loved tasting the wheat kernels as they heard about Farmer Jason and God).
My trip to the farm was God shoring my heart up for the days ahead. Seeing God's loving hand in the wheat field, would bring me comfort these next few months and remind me that He is sovereign even when we are in the hailstorms and when we are being sifted - so that He might draw us closer to Him, closer than we had thought possible!

Toddler Crayons or Fun Balls? You Decide . . .

A little less than a year ago, a little friend of Amanda's received a set of toddler markers - they were pretty cool even to an aging Gramma. They were little balls with marker ends coming out of one side. Easy to grasp and hold onto while being "Creative." I was told they also came in crayons. A thought formed and went into my mental file box - First crayons for Casen. I remembered that my kids both liked to scribble right around a year. Brian and I - hoping to spark the creative gene in both children - had started taping drawing paper to their highchair trays when each of them were around 10 months. They had happily scribbled with the old fashioned Big Crayons (for little hands). Neither grew up to love drawing, but - a parent can try.
So a day or two before Casen's arrival I was walking through Target, trying to think of ANYTHING else we needed to get before they got here - when I remembered the Toddler Crayons. I searched the "creative aisle" which Brian and I affectionly call the"Glitter and Glue Aisle" at Target. There they hung - Toddler Crayons - a package of 3! I took them off the hook, looked them over, decided they would be fun and into the basket they went.
A few days later, out came the Toddler crayons and a Christmas coloring book. I eagerly got down on the floor with Casen and showed him this Treasure. I jumped up to get some paper, thinking that might work better and by the time I had taken two steps the first Toddler Crayon went flying followed shortly by the second- Brian and Amanda started laughing as I held the intact Toddler Crayon ball and the broken crayon in my hands. I don't have a grandbaby who wants to sit quietly doing creative things, I have a Ballplaying Grandbaby! I think he gets his arm from his Daddy or Bunny! Oh, well . . . The Toddler Crayons got plenty of usage minus the crayons!
Side note: Brian, thinking I was disappointed, later that night tried to console me by telling me that it was okay, maybe the next grandbaby will want to do crafts with me. I had to smile - I love that man!

Leading Up To Christmas

We were blessed to have Amanda, Josh and our beautiful grandson, Casen home for Christmas. I was thrilled to get to see Casen's first Christmas - what a bonus! I have really missed living closer to them, we missed so many firsts this year. If I had to have one first though it would have to be First Christmas. Christmas is my favorite time of year and in my family we learned early on to do it up right!
It was great getting to decorate for family coming, deciding what to put out of our Christmas things, what not to put too low (little hands and paws - two of the granddogs came too), unwrapping the "Cookies and Milk for Santa" set I bought years ago in anticipation of this event and trying to figure out what to put at Casen's level that he might enjoy. It was FUN for Brian and I both.
The tree ornaments only went 2/3 of the way down the tree, but lights all around (more is always better when it comes to Christmas tree lights). Big Bear ended up in his usual corner minus all his little friends (a few came to a heinous end the last doggie visit! - Another story for another time, maybe!) and the Hallmark snowmen poised to be on the floor for Casen in a sweep of a hand! Despite Brian's fibro the house was perfectly trimmed with strings and strings of Christmas lights (remember more is always better!) and decorations hung from between each window (except the night the wind storm took a couple of them down).
Now all we had to do was wait . . .
and waiting was difficult, the kids drove straight through, leaving OKC mid afternoon. We kept getting updates - text messages, cute pictures and phone calls - until the middle of the night. They didn't want to wake us up, but Hey, We Are Parents Here! - we have internal clocks that apparently activate as needed - Brian made a couple of calls for us that night to reassure us that they were safe and still driving.
Early Sunday morning they pulled into the drive - 2 happy dogs, 1 wide awake Grandson and 2 weary, sleep deprived parents! Lots of hugging and kissing, petting of doggies, talking, and loving ensued. After an hour or so of catching up, Parents hit the bed and Immie and Bunny got to take Grandson to church!